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Sunday, May 11, 2014

A page four article in the Sunday Herald states "Revealed: 20 rivers in Scotland polluted by toxic 'gender-bender' chemicals."

The paper displays SEPA test results and goes on to say that Monitoring by the government watchdog has found traces of nonylphenols - chemicals know to disrupt hormones and cause sex change. They describe the chemicals:

"Nonylphenols are endocrine disruptors, which means they can affect hormones such as oestrogen in the body. Studies have foudn that they can cause the "feminisation" of fish, decreasing male fertility and shrinking testicals."

SEPA have told the Herald however that "of the 20 rivers where elevated levels of nonylphenols were detected in 2011-2013, only the River Irvine breached Sepa's environmental quality standard." A graphic contained in the paper's article gives a figure of 341 average nanograms per litre 2011-13 for the River Irvine whilst the River Nairn average is 186. The article contains views on the effects of these chemicals and their possible origins from clothes containing the chemical being washed. More online here or in the hard copy in the shops.